[tedwinder]

Hi,

I've recently found and downloaded DeskShade (www.macrabbit.com) and as well as having cool desktop effects like changing the colour of Aqua 'blue' it comes with something called DeskLock. I know that when you activate it (lock the computer) a message appears saying computer locked etc. and when you log back in with your password it displays a hacker log.

What I would like to know is, what's that point of the hacker log because it doesn't seem like the 'hacker' can do much but stare at the screen and try numerous different password! Is that the whole point - to see what passwords a 'hacker' puts in?

Thanks
Ted

[VegasACF]

Methinks it's for people who leave their computers unattended in "safe" environments. It's not for "hackers", per se (which implies access by electronic means--though could, of course, be defined more inclusively), but for monitoring of attempted unauthorized use of the actual computer (coworkers, children, classmates, etc.).

For instance, you tell your fifteen-year-old son he is only to have access to the computer when you are (a) aware of it, (b) know what he's doing, and (c) know where he's going on the Internet. You step away from your computer to make some coffee/tea, have some lunch, barbecue a wildebeest on the spit in the backyard, and while you are gone your son tries to get on the computer to go to a less-than-reputable web site of an adult nature. Now you know when the person attempted to use the computer. You cannot, without the aid of modern forensics or CCTV know for certain who tried to use the computer, but you can probably guess. Fifteen-year-old boys are horndogs. Trust me. Even though I'm well more than twice that age I still think like one.

Make sense?

The use of the term "hacker" is, no doubt, an attempt to make the software, and its features, appear "hip", given the current Red Scare propagating across the Internet (especially in regards to the Mac OS). It's puffery. And nothing more.

As such, I give it an unenthusiastic "meh". :thumbsdown:

P.S. This application appears to be one of those things that makes things "prettier" at the expense of CPU cycles. I would no more run this application on my computer than I would one of those apps that uses animated images as a desktop picture. Every CPU cycle used for such is one taken away from what I'm using the computer to accomplish. Mind you, if you have CPU cycles to spare, by all means, "beautify" the Hell out of your Mac. But it's just not for me. I'd rather use the CPU to do the things I need to do, not to make the desktop (which I only see on occasion) prettier, or to "keep out hackers" and "log their attempts" at accessing my hardware.

[tedwinder]

But what's the point of the 'hacker' log if the supposed 'hacker'/kid can do nothing but stare at the thing saying the computers locked?

[VegasACF]

The log merely records the attempts at access. It's not that uncommon a thing.

[tedwinder]

Oh right, thanks.